pavmentsurfer
New Member
I finally got my bars in the mail. I got them from Ebay. They are FZ1 spec but are not stock FZ1 bars. I didnt want silver bars and these were a bit cheaper. They look and feel great.
Installation was pretty straight forward. I started by removing the front brake lever, then loosening all the controls. Then undoing the bar mounts and pulling the bar off... then sliding the controls off the stock bar. I ended up breaking the little positioning nubs on the controls during removal which, in the end, wasn't a problem as they wouldn't have been in the right spot once the bars were installed.
Removing the left grip was the hardest part of all. I pried it off without damaging it so that was good. The bars I bought were designed to use stock yamaha bar ends so they were re-used.
I started the re-install by sliding the controls back on the new bars and leaving them loose. Then clamping the bar into the mounts loose. I adjusted things in series until it all fit and felt correct. I installed the left grip using some windex. Slipped right on. Then I used a compressor to blow air between the grip and bar to dry out the windex.
Getting the controls tight was difficult only because the new bar has them so low you can't get a screw driver between them and the tank to tighten them up. I finally got it done, but it wasn't easy.
The new bars have drastically changed the way I feel on the bike. Who would have thought only a few inches could make such a big difference. I feel like I'm leaning forward more but its actually MORE comfortable than the stock bars. Wind protection is better too. I actually noticed a mild difference in handling. Seems to react quicker to inputs.
Only clearance issues I ran into were with the clutch and brake lever on the tip of the fairing just behind the windshield. With the bars set as low as I wanted them, they and with the levers set to where I liked them best, they would contact the fairing. In this low position the left and right switch clusters hit the tank as well. I moved the bars up a bit, just far enough that I have about 1/8 clearance between the switch cluster and the tank at full lock, and rotated the levers up a bit and there are now NO clearance issues. The bars still feel great and while id like the levers to be down just a hair lower, I can more than live with them the way they are.
Overall, for $100... this has been one of the best upgrades I've made so far. Now onto the pics:
Installation was pretty straight forward. I started by removing the front brake lever, then loosening all the controls. Then undoing the bar mounts and pulling the bar off... then sliding the controls off the stock bar. I ended up breaking the little positioning nubs on the controls during removal which, in the end, wasn't a problem as they wouldn't have been in the right spot once the bars were installed.
Removing the left grip was the hardest part of all. I pried it off without damaging it so that was good. The bars I bought were designed to use stock yamaha bar ends so they were re-used.
I started the re-install by sliding the controls back on the new bars and leaving them loose. Then clamping the bar into the mounts loose. I adjusted things in series until it all fit and felt correct. I installed the left grip using some windex. Slipped right on. Then I used a compressor to blow air between the grip and bar to dry out the windex.
Getting the controls tight was difficult only because the new bar has them so low you can't get a screw driver between them and the tank to tighten them up. I finally got it done, but it wasn't easy.
The new bars have drastically changed the way I feel on the bike. Who would have thought only a few inches could make such a big difference. I feel like I'm leaning forward more but its actually MORE comfortable than the stock bars. Wind protection is better too. I actually noticed a mild difference in handling. Seems to react quicker to inputs.
Only clearance issues I ran into were with the clutch and brake lever on the tip of the fairing just behind the windshield. With the bars set as low as I wanted them, they and with the levers set to where I liked them best, they would contact the fairing. In this low position the left and right switch clusters hit the tank as well. I moved the bars up a bit, just far enough that I have about 1/8 clearance between the switch cluster and the tank at full lock, and rotated the levers up a bit and there are now NO clearance issues. The bars still feel great and while id like the levers to be down just a hair lower, I can more than live with them the way they are.
Overall, for $100... this has been one of the best upgrades I've made so far. Now onto the pics:
